Digital Commons Network^™

Imprisoning Rationalities, Eileen Baldry, David Brown, Mark Brown, Chris Cunneen, Melanie Schwartz, Alex Steel

David C. Brown

Imprisonment is a growth industry in Australia. Over the past 30-40 years all state and territory jurisdictions have registered massive rises in both the absolute numbers of those imprisoned and the per capita use of imprisonment as a tool of punishment and control. Yet over this period there has been surprisingly little criminological attention to the national picture of imprisonment in Australia and to understanding jurisdictional variation, change and continuity in broader theoretical terms. This article reports initial findings from the Australian Prisons Project, a multi-investigator Australian Research Council funded project intended to trace penal developments in Australia since about …

Scaling Procedures For Iccs Test Items, Wolfram Schulz, Julian Fraillon

Julian Fraillon

This chapter describes the procedures used to analyse and scale the International Civic and Citizenship Education Study (ICCS) international and regional test items that were administered to measure students’ civic knowledge. The chapter covers the following topics: the scaling model used to analyze and scale the test items; test coverage and item dimensionality; assessment of item fit; assessment of scorer reliabilities for open-ended items; differential item functioning by gender; review of cross-national measurement equivalence; international item adjudication; international item calibration and test reliability; international ability estimates (plausible values and weighted likelihood estimates); estimation of changes in civic content knowledge between …

Risk Communication And College Students: The 2009 H1n1 Pandemic Influenza, Francisco Soto Mas

Francisco Soto Mas

Objective The purpose of this study was to assess university students’ self-reported knowledge, behavior, and behavioral intention regarding H1N1 influenza. Method A cross-sectional, causal comparative study with purposive sampling was conducted at a major university in the southwestern U.S. Data were collected in early spring 2010 using a 24-item survey. Analyses included frequencies, descriptive statistics, correlation, linear regression, and multivariate analysis of variance. Results A total of 483 students participated. The majority of participants (69%) indicated taking “specific precautions” to prevent H1N1 influenza, but one-third lacked knowledge about symptoms and treatment. Only 10% had been vaccinated, and approximately half had …

Ageing And Women Disabilities In Sub-Sahara, Dr Williams Emeka Obiozor, Uzoamaka Lucynda Koledoye Mrs.

Dr Williams Emeka Obiozor

In a typical African community, women age gracefully, as they bear children, care, train, provide natural support; as well as receive support from their children when they grow older. The presence of infirmities and disabilities affect aging and hinder effective livelihood, human performance and general well-being of sub-Saharan African women. Critical knowledge gaps exist for responding to the general needs of the disabled women which is a concern to the authors. This position paper addressed the issues concerning aging and women disabilities in Sub-Saharan Africa, the challenges, and roles of adult educators could play as support systems and in ensuring …

Identifying Characteristics Of Effective Small Group Learning Valued By Medical Students And Facilitators, Diana T. Robillard, Laura M. Spring, Susan J. Pasquale, Judith A. Savageau

Judith A. Savageau

Background: Small group teaching is an important part of undergraduate medical education, providing the ideal setting for learners to clarify misunderstandings, test hypotheses and evaluate ideas. Many schools undergoing curriculum reform have increased the time students spend in small group learning. However, there is an overall paucity of literature examining case-based small group sessions in medical school.

Objective: This study was designed to examine student and facilitator perceptions of effective case-based small group teaching in the pre-clinical years and compare results in order to identify similarities and differences and identify key areas of disconnect so that the small …

Technology Enhanced Learning: Students' Views, Eileen O'Donnell, Mary Sharp

Eileen O'Donnell

User feedback is very important in all areas of computer science especially in the development of computer applications. Hence, student feedback on the use of technology enhanced learning in higher education in Ireland is relevant to the quality of the learning resources to be created by learning designers and academics in the future. The book “Student Reactions to Learning with Technologies: Perceptions and Outcomes” (Moyle & Wijngaards, 2012) was published by IGI Global in October 2011. This book includes contributions from various authors who are interested in students’ feedback regarding how technology has impacted on their educational experience. This book …

Civil Procedure And The Establishment Clause: Exploring The Ministerial Exception, Subject-Matter Jurisdiction, And The Freedom Of The Church, Gregory A. Kalscheur

Gregory A. Kalscheur, S.J.

What sort of defense is provided by the ministerial exception to employment discrimination claims? The ministerial exception bars civil courts from reviewing the decisions of religious organizations regarding the employment of their ministerial employees. While the exception itself is widely recognized by courts, there is confusion with respect to the proper characterization of the defense provided by the exception: should it be seen as a subject matter jurisdiction defense, or as a challenge to the legal sufficiency of the plaintiff's claim? This Article argues that articulating the right answer to this question of civil procedure is crucial to a proper …

The Holocaust And Mass Atrocity: The Continuing Challenge For Decision, Winston Nagan, Aitza Haddad

Winston P Nagan

This article begins with an appraisal of a report published by the United States Institute for Peace and authored by the former Secretary of State, Albright, and former Secretary of Defense, Cohen. This Report generated a great deal of interest and reaction from scholars across the globe. The article will introduce the broad outline of this Report and provide a summary of the principal criticisms that it has generated. This sets the stage for approaching the problem that is sensitive to the issue that this phenomenon be explore with a view to developing usable insights and data as well as …

Physical Educators' Technology Competencies And Usage, Marianne L. Woods, Grace Goc Karp, Hui Miao, Dana Perlman

Dana Perlman

The purpose of this study was 10 examine K-12 physical education teachers' perceptions of ability and usage of technology. Physical educators (n=114) completed the Physical Education Technology Usage Survey assessing their perceived technology competency, how and why they utilize technology, challenges they face in implementing technology, and where they learned to use technology. Results indicated a high level of perceived competency with many forms of technology but differences based on gender, teaching level, and years of experience. Low competency levels were shown for website creation, FDAs, heart rate monitors, and body composition analyzers. The teachers reported that student learning can …

Older Workers: An Essential Resource For Massachusetts, Peter B. Doeringer, Andrew Sum, David Terkla

David G. Terkla

The Massachusetts Jobs Council, the Governor’s principal advisory board on workforce development, established the Blue Ribbon Commission on Older Workers in 1997 to analyze the labor market for older workers in the Commonwealth and to recommend policies to improve the economic status of the older labor force. The Commission held numerous hearings, town meetings, and focus groups to solicit the views of older workers, employers, labor organizations, and training professionals, and it reviewed the findings of extensive research on older workers in Massachusetts.

Assessment Of Cultural Diversity At Metropolitan Universities, R. Landrum, Ronna Dillinger, Elizabeth Vandernoot

R. Eric Landrum

The Campus Diversity Questionnaire-Revised (CDQ-R) is a multicultural diversity climate assessment tool containing 23 Likert-type scale agreement-disagreement statements and four demographic questions (age, year in school, gender, and race). The CDQ-R was administered at 11 universities in the United States, and a total of 2,383 students participated. Significant institutional differences emerged as well as individual differences involving age, year in school, gender, and race. These results are helpful in understanding the different constituent needs of students on the college campus.

Do Exercise Motives Predict Obligatory Exercise?, Mary Pritchard, Jessica L. Beaver

R. Eric Landrum

Few studies have examined whether factors predicting obligatory exercise differ by gender. 303 participants completed the Obligatory Exercise Questionnaire and the Reason for Exercise Inventory. All variables correlated significantly. However, the correlation between exercising for fitness and obligatory exercise was significantly stronger in women than men. In women, obligatory exercise was predicted by exercising to improve body tone, fitness, and to enhance mood; in men, obligatory exercise was predicted by exercising to improve body tone, enjoyment, and perceived attractiveness. Implications for treatment are discussed.

College Student's Thoughts About Leaving The University: The Impact Of Faculty Attitudes And Behaviors, Cara Lundquist, Rebecca Spalding, R. Landrum

R. Eric Landrum

College students at a large Western university (N = 729) were surveyed about 19 potential faculty attitude and behavior items and the items relative impact on student's thoughts about leaving the university. Three issues have a significant impact on predicting student thoughts about leaving the university: faculty members being supportive of student needs, returning telephone calls and e-mails in a timely fashion, and being approachable. The magnitude of the impact of these items on student retention also varies as a function of gender and year in school. Faculty members need to be aware of the impact their attitudes and behaviors …

The Measurement Of Multidimensional Self-Concept In Adults With Mild Intellectual Disability, Roselyn M. Dixon, Rhonda Craven, Andrew Martin

Rose Dixon

Although self-concept is now recognised as a multidimensional construct, unidimensional measurement is still common practice for adults with mild intellectual disabilities. For this study, two groups of adults with intellectual disabilities were chosen from two institutions. One group were being prepared to move to community living (Movers) and the other group were staying at their residential service (Stayers). All of the participants had an IQ within the range of 56-75 for those with mild intellectual disability and within the range of 45- 56 for those with mild-moderate intellectual disability. Group 1 consisted of 25 adults who had a mean age …

Underachievement In A Whole City Cohort Of Academically Gifted Children: What Does It Look Like?, Roselyn M. Dixon, Rhonda Craven, Andrew Martin

Rose Dixon

Underachievement has long been recognised as a problem for some gifted children. The aim of the research described in this article was to investigate the affective characteristics of achieving and underachieving intellectually gifted children. In particular, the three affective characteristics were academic self-concept, self-expectations for future achievement and academic locus of control for children who were moving from elementary school to a middle school setting. Forty- one participants were chosen who had a Full WISC-R test over 125 from a large sample of middle school-aged children entering Middle School in a New Zealand city. Of these 41 intellectually gifted participants, …

Advertising In "Tween" Magazines: Exploring The Considerations And Opportunities, Lisa K. Kervin, Jessica Mantei

Jessica Mantei

Many children in our classrooms have competence when interacting with visual and print based texts. While the familiarity may well exist, there is a need to examine children’s ability to sort through and make meaning from the myriad of messages, commercial and otherwise, which they encounter. While some argue that children are empowered by the ability to use and manipulate popular culture for their own purposes (Harding, 2004), others voice concern that this market is vulnerable to negative effects of media. In Australia both the number of magazines targeting children, and the readership of these magazines, is high and increasing. …

The Interplay Between Labor And Financial Markets: What Are The Implications For Defined Contribution Accounts?, Christian E. Weller, Jeffrey B. Wenger

Christian Weller

The relationship between earnings, savings and retirement is well-known, however the linkage between labor market outcomes and financial market performance is generally unacknowledged. We examine the implications of the link between labor markets and financial markets for workers who save money in individual retirement accounts. Specifically, differences in labor market outcomes across groups may imply differences in the timing of investments, which may reduce savings over time for these groups compared to their counterparts. Using monthly data from the Current Population Survey (1979-2002) we generate hypothetical investment portfolios using stock and bond indices. We exploit differences across demographic groups in …

Demographic Analysis Of Recovery Act Supported Jobs In Massachusetts, Quarters 1 And 2, 2010, David Sparks, Paige Ransford, Carol Hardy-Fanta, Christian Weller, Meryl Thomson, Robert Turner

Christian Weller

Massachusetts policy makers decided to go beyond existing ARRA federal reporting requirements and collect additional data in order to gauge the effectiveness of ARRA’s fiscal policy by counting the number of individuals who have received an ARRA-funded paycheck. In addition, policy makers wanted to look at some of the demographic characteristics of this population. This report provides an in-depth analysis of the data that the MA Recovery Office collected during the first and second quarters of 2010, with a particular focus on job creation and retention by race, ethnicity, gender, disability status, and geographic location. Highlights of the report include: …

The Supreme Court 1997- 1998 Labor And Employment Law Term (Part Ii): The Nlra, Takings Clause, And Ada Cases, Marley S. Weiss

Marley S. Weiss

No abstract provided.

Ecstasy (Mdma) And Its Relationship With Self Report Depression, Anxiety And Schizotypy, Lisa Woods, Emma Barkus

Emma Barkus

Abstract. Aims: The relationship between ecstasy and affective psychological symptoms are still subject to debate. We aimed to examine the relationship between Ecstasy use and self-report depression, anxiety and schizotypy. Design: Data were collected via structured remote self-report questionnaires. Participants: Participants were split into three groups: a control group with no ecstasy use, a light ecstasy user group (<50 >times), and a heavy ecstasy user group (>50 times). Measurements: Amount and patterns of ecstasy use were recorded, the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), and Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) measured depression and anxiety respectively, and schizotypal traits were measured using the …

Cannabis-Induced Psychosis-Like Experiences Are Associated With High Schizotypy, Emma Barkus, John Stirling, Richard Hopkins, Shon Lewis

Emma Barkus

OBJECTIVE: Recent studies have suggested that cannabis use is a risk factor for developing schizophrenia. We tested the hypothesis that cannabis use increases the likelihood of psychosis-like experiences in non-clinical participants who scored highly on a measure of schizotypy. METHOD: The psychological effects of cannabis were assessed in 137 healthy individuals (76% female, mean age 22 years) using a newly developed questionnaire concerned with subjective experiences of the drug: the Cannabis Experiences Questionnaire. The questionnaire has three subscales: Pleasurable Experiences, Psychosis-Like Experiences and After-Effects. Respondents also completed the brief Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire. RESULTS: Cannabis use was reported by 72% of …

Cannabis-Induced Psychotic-Like Experiences Are Predicted By High Schizotypy. Confirmation Of Preliminary Results In A Large Cohort., John Stirling, Emma Barkus, L Nabosi, S Irshad, G Roemer, B Schreudergoidheijt, Shon Lewis

Emma Barkus

Background: Cannabis use has been identified as a possible risk factor for developing schizophrenia. In a previous paper we reported preliminary evidence that cannabis use increases the likelihood of psychosis-like experiences in non-clinical respondents who scored highly on a measure of schizotypy. We now present findings from pooled data from 3 new follow-up studies comprising a sample of 477 respondents, of whom 332 reported using cannabis at least once. Sampling and Methods: As in our previous study, the psychological effects of cannabis were assessed with the Cannabis Experiences Questionnaire, from which 3 subscales can be derived; encompassing pleasurable experiences, psychosis-like …

Schizotypy And Psychosis-Like Experiences From Recreational Cannabis In A Non-Clinical Sample, Emma Barkus, Shon Lewis

Emma Barkus

Background. The relationship between cannabis use and psychosis is still a matter for debate. Accounting for the individual differences in subjective experiences to recreational cannabis use in the general population may hold some clues to the aetiological relationship between cannabis and psychotic symptoms. We hypothesized that schizotypy would account for the individual differences in subjective experiences after cannabis use but not in patterns of use. Method. In a sample of 532 young people who had used cannabis at least once, we examined the relationship between the Cannabis Experiences Questionnaire (CEQ) and the Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire (SPQ). Additionally, we examined the …

Personality And Cannabis Use, Emma Barkus

Emma Barkus

Cannabis is one of the most widely used illegal substances in the world. Its use has been reported to be over-represented in many psychiatric conditions and has frequently been found to predate the onset of psychiatric symptoms. However, cannabis may also have detrimental effects on the general population. Factors that predict the onset of use are receiving increased attention to aid in identifying groups of young people who may be more prone to consume cannabis. Personality traits may be one such factor as they are readily identifiable and offer information that can be used for improved targeting of educational material …

Local Budgeting And Public Participation: Contextual Predictors Of State Laws Mandating Public Input, Mitchel Norman Herian

Mitchel Norman Herian

This paper examines the political, economic, and institutional variables associated with the presence of state laws that mandate the use of public input in local budgeting. The results show that political and institutional variables can help explain the presence of such laws, but the relationships between variables of interest shift depending on whether laws aimed at cities or counties are the focal point and on which types of public input methods are under consideration. The implications for both theories of public participation in budgeting and intergovernmental relations are discussed within.

Examining The Perceptions Of Career And Technical Education In Nebraska, Mitchel Herian

Mitchel Norman Herian

This report contains the findings of the survey: “Examining the Perceptions of Career and Technical Education (CTE) in Nebraska.” The purpose of the survey was to measure the perceptions of Nebraska Educators regarding CTE in Nebraska. The results of the study are intended to inform standards revisions in Nebraska Career Education. The survey was administered to Administrators, Math and Science Teachers, Counselors and CTE Instructors in Nebraska during November and December, 2009. Over 1,000 Nebraska Educators participated in the survey. The relatively large sample size allows for multiple comparisons to be made of various groups of educators in the state. …

The Holocaust And Mass Atrocity: The Continuing Challenge For Decision, Winston P. Nagan, Aitza M. Haddad

Winston P Nagan

This article begins with an appraisal of a report published by the United States Institute for Peace and authored by the former Secretary of State, Albright, and former Secretary of Defense, Cohen. This Report generated a great deal of interest and reaction from scholars across the globe. The article will introduce the broad outline of this Report and provide a summary of the principal criticisms that it has generated. This sets the stage for approaching the problem that is sensitive to the issue that this phenomenon be explore with a view to developing usable insights and data as well as …

Challenges Of Older Patients’ Knowledge About Warfarin Therapy, Sayeed Nasser, Judy Mullan, Beata Bajorek

Judy Mullan

Objective: To review the challenges of warfarin education for older patients (aged 65 years or older) in terms of knowledge, access to warfarin education, and education resources. Methods: A quasi-systematic review of the literature was performed via electronic database searches (eg, Medline, Embase, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, International Pharmaceutical Abstracts, Meditext, and Google Scholar) from 1990 to May 2011. Results: The 62 articles reviewed found that improved patient knowledge results in better anticoagulation control. The review also found that between 50% and 80% of older patients have inadequate knowledge about the basic aspects of warfarin therapy …

Trajectories Of Depression And Their Relationship With Health Status And Social Service Use, Chun-Min Chen, Judy Mullan, David Griffiths, Irene A. Kreis, Tzuo-Yun Lan, Herng-Chia Chiu

Judy Mullan

This longitudinal study was conducted between 1994 and 2004 in a cohort of Southern Taiwan community-living elderly residents. The study aims to explore the trajectories of depression and how these patterns differed between respondents who survived and those who died during data collection phases; this study also investigated how health status change and health/social service use predicted the different trajectories of depression. Eight hundred and ten participants had completed all six waves of the survey or were followed-up at each wave until death in the prospective study in Kaohsiung City. Depressive symptoms were evaluated by the Short Psychiatric Evaluation Schedule …

'The Transnational Turn In Australian Literary Studies, Michael Jacklin

Michael Jacklin

A significant number of critical and analytical articles by leading scholars in Australian literary studies have recently drawn attention to the transnational dimensions of the discipline. Amongst these calls for the internationalising of Australian literary studies, however, multicultural literature appears to have been given short shrift. This article traces the mainstream enthusiasm for transnational research, notes the work of critics who have identified aspects of multicultural literature that have been overlooked in Australia, and then provides examples of two further areas of transnational literary production that have been critically neglected. The journal Kalimat which published in Arabic and English and …