Child Health and Wellbeing
New Approaches to Research in Early Child Development: Rules, Rituals and Realities. Goelman, H., Pivik, J. & Ghun, M. (2011). Critical Cultural Studies in Early Childhood Education. New York: Palgrave Macmillan.
This book volume describes a five-year journey of inquiry and discovery and the research findings of medical, health and social scientists which provides an opportunity for scholars and professionals to reflect on the implications of this research for social policy and practice. Of particular interest and emphasis are issues of gender, poverty, Aboriginal status, and cultural factors that frame the lives of “typical” and “non-typical” young children and their families in urban, rural, and remote communities.
Promoting literacy, social emotional learning and parent and community involvement in inner city schools Combining evidence-based research and experiential knowledge. Pivik, J. (2009). Vancouver District School Board: Vancouver, BC.
This review explored the research evidence and best practices related to the three foundational goals of 12 inner city schools in the Vancouver School Board. These goals are promoting literacy, promoting social-emotional development and facilitating parent and community engagement. Along with looking at the research, the experiential knowledge of principals, teachers, staff, parents, students and community organizations who are associated with the 12 Inner City Schools was acquired. An asset-based approach was taken, focusing on identifying successful strategies associated with the foundational goals and recommendations for future action.
Nurturant environments for children’s social, emotional and physical well-being. Pivik, J., Herrington, S., & Gummerum, M. (2011). In New Approaches to Research in Early Child Development: Rules, Rituals and Realities. In H. Goelman, J. Pivik, & M. Ghun (Eds.). Critical Cultural Studies in Early Childhood Education (pp. 117-140). New York: Palgrave Macmillan.
This chapter presents the theory associated with nurturant environments, briefly describes three studies in the CHILD Project that explored the environments that support children’s physical, emotional and social development, the importance of play and safety, and the environmental features that children and youth identify as important.
School Readiness
Environmental Scan of School Readiness for Health Definitions, Determinants, Indicators and Interventions. Pivik, J. (2012). National Collaborating Centre for Health Determinants: Nova Scotia.
Using an ecological lens, this environmental scan explored school readiness from a health perspective. The many definitions of school readiness, determinants influencing school readiness, indicators used to measure readiness and interventions and promising practices to promote school readiness were identified and categorized.
Internet Links for Health and School Readiness. Pivik, J. (2010).
These links cover the following areas: clearinghouses and databases, associations and institutions promoting school readiness, early interventions and educational efforts, school readiness indicators, and environmental influences.
Cognitive Development
Systematic review of cognitive development for child health and wellbeing: Assessment of concepts and indicators. Pivik, J. (2010). The Canadian Institute of Health Information and the Office of the Provincial Health Officer: Victoria, BC.
This series of systematic reviews of cognitive development and child health research for the last decade (2000-2010) fell into three themes: readiness to learn, learning performance and general/knowledge gaps. A broad-base search was conducted to explore all research related to children’s cognitive development and health and to ensure inclusion of knowledge gaps within the scientific literature. Each of these themes is discussed separately and includes results from both the studies and systematic reviews.
Social Development
Systematic review of social relationships for child health and wellbeing: Assessment of concepts and indicators. Pivik, J. (2010). The Canadian Institute of Health Information and the Office of the Provincial Health Officer: Victoria, BC.
This series of systematic reviews focused on the current evidence related to social relationships and child health and well-being. The evidence associated with child health and well-being are presented under the following themes: social connections, child welfare, safety, and youth justice. A systematic review is conducted on each potential indicator, where current (2000-2010) meta-analyses, systematic reviews and high quality research studies are explored for relevance to child health and well-being.
Inclusion and Human-Environment Fit
Principles, policy and practice: Supporting children with special needs in British Columbia. Pivik, J. (2008). BC Healthy Child Development Alliance: Vancouver, BC.
This review examines best practices, both nationally and internationally, for children with special needs (CSNs) related to legislation, integrated systems of care, family support systems, physical and social inclusion, service provider and health professional support and cultural inclusion.
The Inclusive Schools’ Checklist. Pivik (2005). Contact for more information
The Inclusive Schools Checklist is a reliable and valid tool that identifies 76 potential architectural barriers (for the entrance way, ramps, entrance door, passageways, washrooms, signage and safety features, water fountains, elevators, classrooms, stairs and hand rails, library, and recreational facilities), 44 potential inclusive classroom practices and 23 potential school/school board inclusive policies.
The perspective of children and youth: How different stakeholders identify architectural barriers in schools. Pivik, J. (2010). Journal of Environmental Psychology, 30, 510-517.
Recent inclusive policies are promoting the involvement of individuals with disabilities in identifying barriers that limit their full participation and inclusion in public spaces. The present two studies explored the contributions provided by different stakeholder groups in the identification of architectural barriers in elementary and secondary schools. In each school, the principal, special education resource teacher and a student independently identified architectural barriers using an observational walkthrough method.
Barriers and facilitators to inclusive education as reported by students with physical disabilities and their parents. Pivik, J., McComas, J., & Laflamme, M. (2002). Exceptional Children, 69 (1), 97-106.
Inclusion in school means more than incorporating children with disabilities into the present structure and system. It means ensuring accessibility and full participation by altering physical structures, educating teaching staff and students and providing the necessary methods and materials for optimal learning and social experiences. In this study, the physical and attitudinal barriers in different school settings were identified by youth with mobility difficulties and their parents, using a series of focus group meetings. Fifteen youth between the ages of 9 and 15 years identified the barriers to full inclusion in school and recommended solutions to these barriers.
Community Involvement in Planning and Decision-making
Children & Youth
Living on a rural island: Children identify assets, problems and solutions for health and wellbeing. Pivik, J. (2012). Children, Youth and Environments, 22(2): 25-46.
Using an assets based community development approach, 82 children aged 4 – 14 years participated in identifying the community contexts that promote or hinder their well-being. They identified why their community was good and not good for kids, solutions to those problems, places where they play with friends and do after school activities and where they would go in an emergency if their parents weren’t home. Each child participated in the following activities: 1) cognitive mapping; 2) individual interviews; 3) community asset mapping and, 4) group discussions. The results identified four core themes of importance to all of the children regardless of age: the natural environment, social cohesion and networking, a sense of safety, and available resources, programs and services. As well, themes specific to their developmental stage were identified. Methodological considerations for involving children in identifying their perspective is highlighted and the effect of their efforts on community development is provided.
A child friendly perspective on community service and learning: The story of the Knick Knack Nook. Pivik, J. (2008). The Community Psychologist, 41(3/4), 71-74.
This paper describes the involvement of students in grades 4-9 in a community service and learning project designed to promote recycling on a small island. The two year project involved children and youth taking the lead in a community town hall meeting and following up as committee members in the development of a recycle/reuse it shop.
Bowen Island child and youth well-being study Giving our children a voice. Pivik, J. (2007). Community report: Bowen Island, BC.
Eighty-two children and youth between the ages of 4 -15 years participated in a series of community assessment exercises to identify the impact of living on Bowen Island (BI) on their well-being. Their insight provides valuable information on the effects of the natural and built environment, the impact of community networks and cohesion, the resources, programs and services available and result of commuting by ferry.
Adults
Practical strategies for facilitating meaningful citizen involvement in health planning, Pivik (2002). Romanow Commision on the Future of Health Care in Canada, Discussion paper no. 23. Ottawa: National Library of Canada.
For the past 25 years, citizen participation (CP) in health planning has been considered an important feature of responsive and equitable health systems. The purpose of this paper is to identify which strategies have worked in the past and which have not in order to develop clear guidelines for facilitating CP in health planning. Sources for this information have come from health planners, governments, consumer organizations and health researchers, both here in Canada and abroad. The final recommendations have been organized into federal, provincial, regional and community-based initiatives.
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A consumer involvement model for health technology assessment in Canada. Pivik, J., Rode, E., & Ward, C. (2004). Health Policy, 69 (2), 253-268.
Similar to other health policy initiatives, there is a growing movement to involve consumers in decisions affecting their treatment options. Access to certain treatments can be impacted by decisions made during a health technology assessment (HTA), i.e., the rigorous assessment of medical interventions such as drugs, vaccines, devices, materials, medical and surgical procedures and systems. The purpose of this paper was to empirically assess the interest and potential mechanisms for consumer involvement in HTA by identifying what health consumer organizations consider meaningful involvement, examining current best practices internationally and developing a model for involvement based on identified priorities and needs.
Collaborative Research & Partnership Building
Evaluation of a community-based participatory research consortium focused on child health and well-being. Pivik, J., & Hillel, G. (2011). Health Education & Behavior, Jun;38 (3), 271-81.
A process evaluation of a consortium of academic researchers and community-based service providers focused on the health and well-being of children and families provides empirical and practice-based evidence of those factors important for community-based participatory research (CBPR). This study draws on quantitative ratings of 33 factors associated with CBPR as well as open-ended questions addressing the benefits, facilitators, barriers, and recommendations for collaboration. Eight distinct but related studies are represented by 10 academic and 9 community researchers.
The Community Based Collaborative Partnership Framework. Pivik (1997). University of Ottawa: Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
This framework is predicated on the assumption that collaboration is based on equal opportunity for members of a committee, coalition or group to share in the: planning, information, work, problem-solving, decision-making, responsibility, power, and benefits of their endeavor. This framework focuses on prospectively developing collaborative partnership agreements that ensure full participation and accessibility, determines participants’ strengths and constraints, defines participants’ roles and responsibilities, defines decision-making and conflict resolution strategies, describes the benefits to participation, and allows the development of appropriate time lines and budgets which support full participation.
Prevention Initiatives
Using virtual reality to teach disability awareness. Pivik, J., McComas, J., Macfarlane, I., & Laflamme, M. (2002). Educational Computing Technology, 26 (2), 203-218.
A desktop virtual reality (VR) program was designed and evaluated to teach children about the accessibility and attitudinal barriers encountered by their peers with mobility impairments. Within this software, children sitting in a virtual wheelchair experience obstacles such as stairs, narrow doors, objects too high to reach, and attitudinal barriers such as inappropriate comments. Using a collaborative research methodology, 15 youth with mobility impairments assisted in developing and beta-testing the software. The effectiveness of the program was then evaluated with 60 children in Grades 4-6 using a controlled pretest/posttest design. The results indicated that the program was effective for increasing children’s knowledge of accessibility barriers. Attitudes, grade level, familiarity with individuals with a disability, and gender were also investigated.
Effectiveness of virtual reality for teaching pedestrian safety. McComas, J., MacKay, M., & Pivik, J. (2002). CyberPsychology and Behavior, 5 (3), 185-190.
Sixty percent to 70% of pedestrian injuries in children under the age of 10 years are the result of the child either improperly crossing intersections or dashing out in the street between intersections. The purpose of this injury prevention research study was to evaluate a desktop virtual reality (VR) program that was designed to educate and train children to safely cross intersections. Specifically, the objectives were to determine whether children can learn pedestrian safety skills while working in a virtual environment and whether pedestrian safety learning in VR transfers to real world behavior. Following focus groups with a number of key experts, a virtual city with eight interactive intersections was developed. Ninety-five children participated in a community trial from two schools (urban and suburban). Approximately half were assigned to a control group who received an unrelated VR program, and half received the pedestrian safety VR intervention. Children were identified by group and grade by colored tags on their backpacks, and actual street crossing behavior of all children was observed 1 week before and 1 week after the interventions. There was a significant change in performance after three trials with the VR intervention. Children learned safe street crossing within the virtual environment. Learning, identified as improved streetcrossing behavior, transferred to real world behavior in the suburban school children but not in the urban school.
Current uses of virtual reality for children with disabilities. McComas, J., Pivik, J., & Laflamme, M. (1998). In G. Riva, B. K. Wiederhold & E. Molinari (Eds.), Virtual Environments in Clinical Psychology and Neuroscience (pp. 161-169). Amsterdam: ISO Press.
Technological advances, including the use of virtual reality (VR), have contributed enormously to improving the treatment, training, and quality of life of children with disabilities. This paper describes the advantages of VR for children with disabilities, how VR can minimize the effects of a disability, the role of VR in training and skills enhancement, and how social participation and the child’s quality of life may be improved through the use of VR.
Children’s transfer of spatial learning from virtual reality to real environments. McComas, J., Pivik, J., & Laflamme, M. (1998). CyberPsychology & Behavior, 1 (2), 121-128.
Spatial abilities in children have been shown to be related to activity in the environment, particularly
to walking and other forms of active locomotion. The objective of this study was to
investigate whether virtual reality (VR) can assist children in transferring spatial learning to
a real environment. Children (six and seven-yr-old participants) were asked to find ten objects
hidden around a room and to try not to visit the same location more than once. Examination
of the percentage of correct choices and the visit of first error showed improvement as
a result of training. There were initial differences between children trained on the computer
compared to those trained in the real environment. However, after three practice trials, children
with the VR training were comparable to children trained in the real space. The implications
for utilizing a VR environment for enhancing spatial abilities for children with mobility
difficulties is discussed.
Health Research
The Pain and Catastrophizing Scale: Development and Validation. Sullivan, M.J.L., Bishop, S.R., & Pivik, J. (1995). Psychological Assessment, 7 (4), 524-532.
Catheter cleaning for re-use in intermittent catheterization: New light on an old problem. Lavallee, D.J., Lapierre, N.M., Henwood, P.K., Pivik, J., Best, M., Springthorp, S.V., & Sattar, S.A. (1995). SCI Nursing, 12, 10-12.
Reaction time after traumatic brain injury Fatigue, divided and focussed attention, and consistency of performance. Stuss, D., Stethem, L., Hugenholtz, H., Picton, T., Pivik, J., & Richard, M. (1989). Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry, 52, 742-748.
A prospective study of neuropsychological deficits after traumatic brain injury. Stuss, D., Pivik, J., Gow, C., Stethem, L., Hugenholtz, H.H., & Picton, T. (1990). Journal of Clinical and Experimental Neuropsychology, 12, p. 34.
Perception of personality changes and psychosocial adjustment after closed head injury. Stuss, D., Pivik, J., Stethem, L., et al. (1988). Journal of Clinical and Experimental Neuropsychology, 10, 42.