The importance of selected housing features at various stages of the life cycle

The spatial environment of the home is an important factor in the consideration of satisfactory housing for families. With the increasing demand for housing, it has become common to simply provide the basic structure without addressing the various wants and needs of individuals and families. It is the purpose of the study reported here to evaluate the importance of specific housing features based on stage in the family lifecycle. Results show that those features with the highest importance involve low maintenance, aesthetics, and environmental quality. Implications for home designers, educators, and consumers are discussed.Kathleen Ann Lodl is an Instructor in the Department of Consumer Science and Education, 128 Home Economics, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE 68583-0801. Her research interests include housing design, residential alterations, and female-headed households. She is currently working on a Ph.D. from the University of Nebraska.Betsy S. Gabb is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Textiles, Clothing and Design, 226 Home Economics, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, NE 68583-0802. Her research interests include housing design and residential space use. She received her Ed.D. from the University of Nebraska.E. Raedene Combs is a Professor in the Department of Consumer Science and Education, 134 Home Economics, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE 68583-0801. Her research interests include housing designs for special populations and families at risk. She received her Ph.D. from Purdue University.     

Popularity as an Affordance for Friendship: The Link Between Group and Dyadic Experience*

The associations between measures of popularity (acceptance, rejection and preference) and friendship were examined in three independent samples of elementary and middle school children. Data were obtained by means of sociometric nomination and rating scale procedures. Results reveal that, regardless of measurement technique, acceptance is generally more strongly related to friendship than is either rejection or preference. The size of the association between popularity and friendship decreases with age. Mean comparisons show that popularity is a predictor and/or is temporally antecedent to friendship rather than vice-versa. These results indicate that the association between popularity and friendship derives from their conceptual dependence on the construct of liking.     

Making Rape Education Meaningful for Men: The Case for Eliminating the Emphasis on Men as Perpetrators,Protectors, or Victims

Analysis of college men's responses to a fictional woman revealing a rape experience indicate that men want to know how to support women who have experienced rape, however, they feel unprepared to do so. Additionally, men reported their previous education on rape as insufficient, inappropriate, and irrelevant leading us to conclude that rape prevention strategies that focus on men as perpetrators, potential victims, and/or protectors are less than ideal for reaching men. However, based on the men's responses in the interviews and reflective writing pieces, we suggest that teaching men to be supporters or allies of raped women holds promise for making rape education relevant to the men. The paper concludes with suggestions for practitioners on how to meet current rape prevention goals while shifting the focus of the training for men and encourages further empirical testing.     

The Hispanic population: 1990–2000 growth and change

Data sources indicate that there were significant changes in the Hispanic populationbetween 1990 and 2000. Using short-form data from the 1990 and 2000 censuses,we explore changes in the size and distribution of the Latino population. The mostimportant shifts in the Hispanic population are the continued increase of the Latinopopulation in the United States, the significant growth of Hispanic population whoidentify as `other' Latino, and the growing importance of the Midwest and South aspopular receiving areas for Latinos. Additionally, our comparison of householdcomposition over the ten-year period shows little change. We offer potentialexplanations, both substantive and methodological, for these important transitionsin the Latino population over the decade.