Gender role stereotypes in fine art: A content analysis of art history books

This paper reports findings from a content analysis of the gender role images in the works of Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque and Modern art in three major Western art history textbooks. Males were overrepresented as subjects; males and females were presented in stereotypic roles and activities; the Madonna and the idle nude were common female images; males were overrepresented in portraits. Fine art as presented in major art history books was found to embody the gender role stereotypes of the wider society.     

RELATIVE ADVANTAGE

A concept of relative advantage is outlined in this article. Based on an oppressed group's selective assessment of their circumstances or character or values in comparison with either those of another group or at different points of time for their own group, the consensual image that they are relatively better off or relatively superior in some way is constructed. Drawing on the experiences of three oppressed groups, it is suggested in this article that the reality construction process occurs in various circumstances, and that the shape of relative advantage is defined differently, possibly in accord with this. It is concluded that this perception might help to engender a sense of group honor and also serve as a strategic factor in the tamping down of discontent and in the maintenance of the oppressive social order.     

The impact of school furniture on fourth grade children's on-task and sitting behavior in the classroom: a pilot study

Schoolchildren spend much of their day sitting in classroom furniture that is often too large or too small. To assess the impact of the size and fit of school furniture on the sitting and task behaviors of schoolchildren, 63 fourth-graders were observed while seated in 2 different sizes, types, and arrangements of furniture in their classroom. A correlated group design was used to compare the sitting and task behaviors of the students while seated in their traditional classroom furniture consisting of tables and chairs, and while sitting in smaller, appropriately sized desks and chairs, arranged in clusters and then in rows. The results indicate that the children sat better and were on task more when seated in the smaller furniture, as indicated by a significant main effect for condition, F = 51.478 (4, 330), p<0.05. There was no difference in sitting and task behaviors with the new furniture arranged in clusters compared to rows. Girls showed a slightly greater improvement compared to boys, and there was a significant correlation between better sitting positions and being on-task (r = 0.549, p<0.01). These findings indicate that students would likely benefit from sitting in smaller furniture that fits their size better.     

Solution-focused wellness coaching: a mixed methods,longitudinal study with college students

ABSTRACT

Research indicates that college students are experiencing mental health challenges of greater severity and frequency. College students present with a variety of wellness-related challenges, resulting in increased demand on campus health resources and service limitations including extended wait lists and increased off-campus referrals. This research study examined the effectiveness of a short-term solution-focused intervention on perceptions of wellness and stress among the college student population. This study utilized a longitudinal, mixed-methods design to assess the impact of a brief (seven-week) intervention on perceived stress and wellness among 52 college students at a large Midwestern University, using the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) and Five-Factor Wellness Evaluation of Lifestyle (5 F-WEL). Repeated measures analysis of variance (RM-ANOVA) results indicated significant differences across time for perceived stress and wellness (p <.01). To augment quantitative data, a brief, semi-structured interview was completed with 24 study participants post-intervention, and an Applied Thematic Analysis (ATA) was conducted as a means of identifying themes. This study demonstrates the effectiveness of a solution-focused wellness (SFW) approach in changing perceptions of stress and wellness. Findings provide support for a prevention model in which college students are encouraged to proactively engage in lifestyle activities that enhance their wellness.     

Diagonal latent block model for binary data

This paper addresses the problem of co-clustering binary data in the latent block model framework with diagonal constraints for resulting data partitions. We consider the Bernoulli generative mixture model and present three new methods differing in the assumptions made about the degree of homogeneity of diagonal blocks. The proposed models are parsimonious and allow to take into account the structure of a data matrix when reorganizing it into homogeneous diagonal blocks. We derive algorithms for each of the presented models based on the classification expectation-maximization algorithm which maximizes the complete data likelihood. We show that our contribution can outperform other state-of-the-art (co)-clustering methods on synthetic sparse and non-sparse data. We also prove the efficiency of our approach in the context of document clustering, by using real-world benchmark data sets.     

Drinking places: Young people and cultures of alcohol consumption in rural environments

This paper focuses on the contemporary British moral panic about young people and the consumption of alcohol in public space. Most of this public debate has focused on binge drinking in urban areas as a social problem. Here, we consider instead the role of alcohol in rural communities, and in particular alcohol consumption in domestic and informal spaces, as well as the formal drinking landscape of pubs and bars. Drawing on empirical work (including a survey, interviews and participant observation) in rural Cumbria, UK we explore the specific socio-spatial nature of local attitudes to alcohol consumption and its regulation. In doing so, we reflect on the nature of rural lifestyles, community spaces and intergenerational relations. The paper concludes by highlighting some of the implications for health promotion professionals of the generally positive attitude towards young people's drinking in the rural area where the research was conducted. It also draws attention to the need for academics to pay closer attention to the ways that moral panics about binge drinking are implicitly producing a monolithic image of alcohol consumption in urban areas that fails to acknowledge the socio-spatially differentiated nature of practices of alcohol consumption and regulation.     

Factors Motivating Individuals to Take Precautionary Action for an Expected Earthquake in Istanbul

Istanbul is expected to experience an earthquake in the near future, but individuals show limited interest in preparing for it. This study aims to identify the factors associated with taking action to prepare for an earthquake and mitigate its effects at the individual level. A field survey was carried out in 2007 in two districts of Istanbul with different levels of earthquake risk. Within these districts, three socioeconomic levels were considered. A total of 1,123 people were interviewed face to face. Analysis indicated that the educational level of the respondents was the leading factor associated with taking at least three measures, followed by living in a higher earthquake risk area, having participated in rescue and solidarity activities in previous earthquakes, a higher level of knowledge about earthquakes, home ownership, a higher score for action‐stimulating attitudes, being younger, and a higher general safety score, in that order. The findings pointed to the role of knowledge about earthquakes and possible mitigation/preparedness measures, and thus the importance of developing effective awareness programs. Such programs should also consider the characteristics of different groups in the population. Motivated individuals, such as those who have participated in rescue and solidarity activities in previous earthquakes, could be involved in reaching other people.     

From past trauma to post-traumatic growth: The role of self in participants with serious mental illnesses

Studies have shown that people with serious mental illness are more likely to have experienced trauma compared to the general population. This qualitative study employed a grounded theory approach to explore how trauma histories influenced the process of triggering, developing, and recovering from serious mental illness. Findings based on in-depth interviews with 15 participants illustrated the intersection of trauma, serious mental illness, and post-traumatic growth. Experiencing trauma compromised participants’ self-functioning, causing issues such as affect dysregulation, distorted self- and other- concepts and relationship difficulties, meaninglessness, and existential fears, all of which negatively impacted participants’ mental health and behavior. At the same time, participants with serious mental illness were able to achieve post-traumatic growth with the “transformed-self” via self-acceptance, self-exploration, self-worth, and self-fulfillment. Findings of this study have useful implications for trauma-informed care in mental health treatment. Mental health professionals should address clients’ trauma histories to prevent re-traumatization and design trauma-informed programs that use and build clients’ inner resources and strengths to promote post-traumatic growth.     

Interpretive claims and methodological warrant in small-number qualitative,longitudinal research

This article discusses issues of methodological warrant in a qualitative, longitudinal study with only a small number of subjects. The 12 to 18 Project was designed to contribute to research on gender, class and schooling. The rationale for a design using only 26 students spread between four schools is explained. It is argued that even with small-number research, issues of selection and comparison are important--but emphasis on techniques of data-treatment and comparison is misplaced. The meaningfulness and contribution of studies of this type lie in multiple acts of design, comparison, reflexive interpretation and dialogue with the broader field, and the more that such studies emphasize technical analytic procedures, the more they undermine their warrant to be anything other than a report on a small sample. Illustrations of interpretations of the data and from the data are given.