A Comprehensive Action Plan Information System: A Tool for Tracking and Mapping Quality of Life Action Implementation and Planning

Since its inception, the Community-University Institute for Social Research (CUISR) has been involved in a participatory process aimed at understanding the quality of life in Saskatoon. Informed by the results of Quality of Life (QoL) survey in 2001 and by a list of QoL action priorities from a community forum, the CUISR QoL module set out to survey community work on QoL action planning and implementation. In collaboration with a steering committee of community-based professionals, CUISR developed a methodology for managing and analyzing QoL initiatives related to community action implementation and planning. The Community Action Plan Information System (CAPIS) is the result of this process. CAPIS is a compendium, an analysis, and a purposive contextualization of QoL actions and recommendations from collaborative action plan documents, focused on the Saskatoon community. This paper provides a detailed examination of the concept and components of the Comprehensive Action Plan Information System (CAPIS), as well as the process and outcomes of a sampling of the QoL statement analysis and mapping project. The paper concludes by projecting how the CAPIS could evolve into a fully operational QoL strategic action plan and gap indicator, providing the foundation for a knowledge based, informed, reporting mechanism on the state and evolution of QoL action and policy.

Social Indicators in Surveys of Urban Aboriginal Residents in Saskatoon

The Bridges and Foundations Project on Urban Aboriginal Housing, a Community-University Research Alliance (CURA) project financed primarily by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) and the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC), has been operational in Saskatoon since early 2001. During these past 5 years over 50 specific research projects, community surveys, graduate theses, workshops, conferences, seminars and other meetings have been conducted under the auspices of the Bridges and Foundations Project as a whole. This paper first discusses the various social indicators employed in seven surveys, which probed deeply into the views of local Aboriginal residents of their quality of life, particularly their living conditions and affordable housing. The paper focuses less on the vast amount of data gathered from some 2,000 residents than on the relevance of social indicators used in these surveys—for example which were most or least informative, and which were of most or least interest and pertinence to the residents themselves. In the process it would seem pertinent to discern which of various research approaches seemed, in retrospect, to have been most appropriate, informative and beneficial. The paper then proceeds to place our experience in the Bridges and Foundations Project within a broader theoretical discussion of social indicator development; and concludes with a brief commentary on the linkages between theory and research and between academic and community-based research.     

An exploration of teacher attrition and mobility in high poverty racially segregated schools

The purpose of this study was to examine the mobility (movement to a new school) and attrition (quitting teaching) patterns of teachers in high poverty, racially segregated (HPRS) schools in the US. Using 2007–9 survey data from the National Center for Education Statistics, a multi-level multinomial logistic regression was performed to examine the contribution of teacher characteristics, school setting characteristics, and school climate with a focus on interactions between school climate variables. The findings demonstrated that school climate variables predicted increased odds of mobility and that teacher characteristics, school setting, and teachers’ perceptions of school climate predicted increased odds of teacher attrition. These findings suggest that teacher attrition and mobility from HPRS schools could be slowed by strategic placement of teachers based on their beliefs about students in poverty and students of color.     

Historical Trends in Concerns About Social Issues Across Four Decades Among U.S. Adolescents

This study examined adolescents’ concerns about social issues and how these concerns have changed over historical time. Separate cohorts of U.S. high school seniors (N = 110,953; 51.1% female) reported their worries about four social issues (crime/violence, economic problems, hunger/poverty, race relations) every year from 1976 to 2015. Youth were most concerned with crime/violence, followed by economic problems, hunger/poverty, and race relations. Adolescents’ social concerns varied by demographic characteristics and cohort, paralleling specific historical events and appearing responsive to the political challenges of the time. Initiatives seeking to engage youth within the political process may benefit from providing opportunities for teens to participate in civic activities aimed to address these issues.     

Middle Childhood Feelings Toward Mothers: Predictions From Maternal Directiveness at the Age of Two and Respect for Autonomy Currently

The goals of this study were to examine (1) stability of maternal directiveness during interactions with their children from toddlerhood to late middle childhood, (2) direct and mediated relations between mothers' directiveness when children were two years old, mothers' respect for autonomy and children's positivity and negativity toward their mothers when children were in late middle childhood, and (3) differences in these paths by ethnoracial group. Participants included 876 European‐American, 789 African‐American, and 411 Mexican‐American mothers and their children from the Early Head Start Research and Evaluation Project. Maternal respect for autonomy at Time 2 partially mediated an association between Time 1 directiveness and observed child positivity toward mothers at Time 2. There was also a direct inverse link between Time 1 maternal directiveness and children's observed positivity toward mothers at Time 2. Relations were similar across ethnoracial groups and for boys and girls. The discussion focuses on heterotypic stability in directive parenting and its implications for children's feelings toward their mothers.     

The Development of Specialized Processing of Own‐Race Faces in Infancy

In this study, we examined developmental changes in infants' processing of own‐ versus other‐race faces. Caucasian American 8‐month‐olds (Experiment 1) and 4‐month‐olds (Experiment 2) were tested in a habituation‐switch procedure designed to assess holistic (attending to the relationship between internal and external features of the face) versus featural (attending to individual features of the face) processing of faces. Eight‐month‐olds demonstrated holistic processing of upright own‐race (Caucasian) faces, but featural processing of upright other‐race (African) faces. Inverted faces were processed featurally, regardless of ethnicity. Four‐month‐olds, however, demonstrated holistic processing of both Caucasian and African upright faces. These results demonstrate that infants' processing of own‐ versus other‐race faces becomes specialized between 4 and 8 months.     

Exercise Motivation of College Students in Online,Face-to-Face,and Blended Basic Studies Physical Activity and Wellness Course Delivery Formats

Abstract

Objective: The purpose of this study was to assess exercise motivation among college students self-selected into 4 online (OL) and face-to-face (F2F) basic studies’ physical activity and wellness course delivery formats. Participants/Methods: Out of 1,037 enrolled students during the Spring 2009 semester, 602 responded online to demographic questions and to the Behavioural Regulation in Exercise Questionnaire, which assessed exercise motivation on 5 subscales. Results: There were no significant differences (p > .05) in exercise motivation for students across course delivery formats, but there was a significant difference in age and employment status between the completely OL and F2F course formats. Conclusions: Health and physical educators can utilize these findings to better understand that physical activity and wellness students are not necessarily trying to avoid physical activity when selecting the OL course format, but are more likely trying to balance work and school responsibilities and need greater flexibility in time and location.     

Modeling Retrospective Attribution of Responsibility to Hazard‐Managing Institutions: An Example Involving a Food Contamination Incident

Perceptions of institutions that manage hazards are important because they can affect how the public responds to hazard events. Antecedents of trust judgments have received far more attention than antecedents of attributions of responsibility for hazard events. We build upon a model of retrospective attribution of responsibility to individuals to examine these relationships regarding five classes of institutions that bear responsibility for food safety: producers (e.g., farmers), processors (e.g., packaging firms), watchdogs (e.g., government agencies), sellers (e.g., supermarkets), and preparers (e.g., restaurants). A nationally representative sample of 1,200 American adults completed an Internet‐based survey in which a hypothetical scenario involving contamination of diverse foods with Salmonella served as the stimulus event. Perceived competence and good intentions of the institution moderately decreased attributions of responsibility. A stronger factor was whether an institution was deemed (potentially) aware of the contamination and free to act to prevent or mitigate it. Responsibility was rated higher the more aware and free the institution. This initial model for attributions of responsibility to impersonal institutions (as opposed to individual responsibility) merits further development.     

Patterns of Sexual Behaviors in Young Men Who Have Sex With Men in Mexico

Recent research has documented the importance of understanding the multidimensional nature of sexual risk behavior. However, little is known about patterns of sexual behavior among men who have sex with men (MSM) in Mexico, men who are at greatest risk for HIV and sexually transmitted infections compared to other subpopulations in the country. This study applied latent class analysis to data from a large, HIV-negative sample of 18- to 25-year-old Mexican MSM recruited from a social and sexual networking website (N = 3,722) to uncover multidimensional patterns of sexual behaviors, partner factors, and protective behaviors, and examine how these were associated with health and well-being correlates. We selected a model with seven classes. The most common class included those who reported both insertive and receptive behaviors with more than one partner, but smaller groups of individuals were in classes marked by only insertive or receptive anal sex, romantic relationships, or sexual inactivity. Class membership differed by sexual orientation, age, depressive symptoms, alcohol problems, and self-acceptance, with individuals in a class marked by same-sex relationships generally reporting more positive outcomes. Findings suggest heterogeneity of behaviors among Mexican MSM and the possible efficacy of prevention messages tailored to individuals’ specific patterns of sexual behavior.     

Case outcomes of child welfare-involved families affected by domestic violence: A review of the literature

There is emerging evidence to suggest that children who come to the attention of child protective authorities are more likely to experience out-of-home placement if their families are affected by domestic violence than other reasons for investigation. To develop a better understanding of child welfare-involved families that are exposed to domestic violence, this article provides a comprehensive review of research examining the effects of domestic violence on the likelihood of out-of-home placement and family reunification. A search of the literature resulted in 16 articles that met the study's criteria. Data suggested that domestic violence may be negatively related to out-of-home placement depending on the sample type, and marginally related to family reunification. Recommendations and implications related to future research are presented.