Leslie A. Lytle, Amanda Birnbaum, Kerri Boutelle and David M. Murray
This paper describes a step in exploring the context of health messages within other issues important to families with teenage children. A telephone survey of parents was…
Abstract
This paper describes a step in exploring the context of health messages within other issues important to families with teenage children. A telephone survey of parents was conducted as part of the formative evaluation for a school and family‐based nutrition intervention with young adolescents. Parents were asked to indicate the frequency with which they talked to their teenage children about a variety of issues, including school and home management issues, wellness issues and health risks. Our results suggest that school and home management issues are more frequently discussed than are health messages. In addition, we saw differences by socioeconomic status (SES) of families. Lower SES families gave more messages overall and gave more priority to messages about health risks as compared to higher SES families. Increasing our understanding regarding family communication with teenagers may help us improve our effectiveness in working with families to reduce health risk factors in youth.
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Michael A. Close, Leslie A. Lytle, Anthony J. Viera, Ding-Geng Chen, Laura A. Linnan and Carmina G. Valle
The purpose of this paper is to identify and characterize patterns of physical activity among office workers employed in largely sedentary occupations at a major health insurer…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to identify and characterize patterns of physical activity among office workers employed in largely sedentary occupations at a major health insurer located in the Southeastern USA.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors used latent class analysis to identify segments of office workers (n=239) based on their self-reported activities of daily living and exercise behaviors. The authors examined the association of demographic characteristics with segment membership, and differences in accelerometer-measured weekly minutes of light and moderate-vigorous physical activity across segments.
Findings
The authors identified two segments and labeled them “exerciser” and “non-exerciser.” Being female was associated with lower odds of membership in the “exerciser” segment (OR=0.18; 95% CI=0.06, 0.52), while those with at least a bachelor’s degree were more likely to be in the “exerciser” segment (OR=2.12; 95% CI=1.02, 4.40). Mean minutes of moderate-vigorous physical activity per week were greater for the “exerciser” segment than the “non-exerciser” segment.
Practical implications
Based on this sample, the authors found that office workers in sedentary occupations were roughly equally divided and distinguished by their engagement in exercise-type behaviors. The findings underscore the need for innovative workplace programming that enhances activity opportunities particularly for those that are not likely to exercise.
Originality/value
A scarcity of research on activity patterns among office workers inhibits development of targeted worksite activity programming. The present research reveals two segments of workers with regard to their activity patterns and suggests ways for worksites to meet their unique needs.
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Michael A. Close, Leslie A. Lytle, Ding-Geng Chen and Anthony J. Viera
This study aims to test the utility of the theory of planned behavior (TPB) for explaining intention to eat a healthful diet in a sample of Southeastern US office workers.
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to test the utility of the theory of planned behavior (TPB) for explaining intention to eat a healthful diet in a sample of Southeastern US office workers.
Design/methodology/approach
Participants in a worksite nutrition study (n = 357) were invited to complete an online questionnaire including measures of TPB constructs at baseline. The questionnaire included valid and reliable measures of TPB constructs: behavioral beliefs, normative beliefs, control beliefs, attitudes toward behavior, subjective norm, perceived behavioral control and intention. Data were collected from 217 participants (60.8 per cent response rate). Confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling were conducted to test the hypothesized TPB model.
Findings
The model fit was satisfactory (χ2 = p < 0.0001, RMSEA = 0.06, CFI = 0.91, TLI = 0.90, SRMR = 0.09). All structural relationships between TPB constructs were statistically significant in the hypothesized direction (p < 0.05). Attitude toward behavior, subjective norm and perceived behavioral control were positively associated with intention (R2 = 0.56). Of all TPB constructs, the influence of perceived behavioral control on intention was the strongest (β = 0.62, p < 0.001).
Originality/value
Based on this sample of Southeastern US office workers, TPB-based interventions may improve intention to eat a healthful diet. Interventions that strengthen perceived control over internal and external factors that inhibit healthful eating may be particularly effective in positively affecting intention to eat a healthful diet, and subsequent food intake.
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Julisa McCoy, Jessica Moronez, Evelyn Pruneda and Ellen Reese
Communities are critical sites for studying the politics of inequality within neoliberal capitalism. We illustrate this by providing regional case studies of the enactments and…
Abstract
Communities are critical sites for studying the politics of inequality within neoliberal capitalism. We illustrate this by providing regional case studies of the enactments and outcomes of three types of neoliberal policies in the United States: (1) cutbacks in family planning policies, (2) municipal underbounding and failures to provide public infrastructure within unincorporated communities, and (3) “tough on crime” policies leading to mass incarceration. Building on insights from intersectional feminist theory and using evidence from in-depth interviews from three Southwestern communities, we argue that neoliberal capitalism is compounding intersecting inequalities affecting women of color. In particular, we claim that neoliberal policies at the local and state levels are compromising the reproductive autonomy and public health of women of color and creating new challenges for their family care work.
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Minda Morren López and Lori Czop Assaf
In this qualitative study, we explore 31 preservice teachers’ generative trajectories including how they built on instructional practices learned in the service-learning project…
Abstract
In this qualitative study, we explore 31 preservice teachers’ generative trajectories including how they built on instructional practices learned in the service-learning project, the university methods course, and the field-based experience. We addressed the question: In what ways does participating in a semester-long field-based university course combined with a service-learning program shape preservice teachers’ views about effective literacy practices for emergent bilinguals? We identified four themes in our analysis: importance of choice in literacy pedagogy; learning from and with our students; freedom to apply course methods and ideas; and growing confidence and align them with Ball’s (2009) generative change model and the four processes of change – metacognitive awareness, ideological becoming, internalization, and efficacy.
We found the preservice teachers’ ability to develop an awareness of diversity grew from their work with students both in their field-block experience and writing club. These opportunities provided them with a layering of learning – from course readings, collaborating with teachers, to problem solving and creating lessons that specifically met their students’ needs. By moving in and out of different contexts, preservice teachers developed generative knowledge about ways to support writing for emergent bilinguals. Likewise, they became keenly aware of their own experiences and beliefs. Implications include the importance of providing a variety of opportunities for preservice teachers to work directly with students. This should be accompanied by written and verbal discussions to examine and critique their experiences and ideologies in relation to students’ language and literacy needs.
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Wayne F. Cascio and David G. Collings
Despite considerable development in our understanding of potential over the past two decades, we argue that the failure to adequately conceptualize and manage “potential” in the…
Abstract
Despite considerable development in our understanding of potential over the past two decades, we argue that the failure to adequately conceptualize and manage “potential” in the context of talent management has significantly limited the ability of organizations to meet their talent needs. In this chapter, we begin by defining the concept of potential, calling attention to the need to separate it from performance. We also address the need to specify the target for judgments of potential (e.g., management level, specific roles), along with the identification of constructs to measure. The chapter highlights two contextual variables – gender and culture, including translations of language that describe relevant constructs – that may impact judgments of potential. This chapter concludes by summarizing what we know and by identifying a variety of future directions for research on the important construct of potential.
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Marla Robertson, Leslie Patterson and Carol Wickstrom
Our purpose in this chapter is to examine the implementation of a set of lesson frameworks to set conditions for teachers to deal with the complex challenges related to writing…
Abstract
Purpose
Our purpose in this chapter is to examine the implementation of a set of lesson frameworks to set conditions for teachers to deal with the complex challenges related to writing instruction in a high-stakes testing environment. These lessons provided a flexible framework for teachers to use in tutorials and in summer writing camps for students who struggle to pass the state-mandated tests, but they also build shared understandings about writing as a complex adaptive system.
Design/methodology/approach
We look to two sources for our theoretical framework: the study of complex adaptive systems and research-based writing instruction. In the chapter we summarize insights from these sources as a list of patterns that we want to see in powerful writing instruction. The analysis presented here is based on open-ended interviews of 17 teachers in one of the partner districts. The results of an inductive analysis of these transcripts is combined with a summary of 9th and 10th grade test results to inform the next iteration of this work.
Findings
Our findings suggest a shift toward patterns that imply shared understandings that writing and writing instruction require dialogue, inquiry, adaptability, and authenticity. These lesson frameworks, rather than limiting teacher’s flexibility and responsiveness, provide just enough structure to encourage flexibility in writing instruction. Using these frameworks, teachers can respond to their students’ needs to support powerful writing.
Practical implications
This set of lesson frameworks and the accompanying professional development hold the potential to build coherence in writing instruction across a campus or district, as it builds shared understandings and practices. We look forward to further implementation, adaptation, and documentation in diverse contexts.
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Aim of the present monograph is the economic analysis of the role of MNEs regarding globalisation and digital economy and in parallel there is a reference and examination of some…
Abstract
Aim of the present monograph is the economic analysis of the role of MNEs regarding globalisation and digital economy and in parallel there is a reference and examination of some legal aspects concerning MNEs, cyberspace and e‐commerce as the means of expression of the digital economy. The whole effort of the author is focused on the examination of various aspects of MNEs and their impact upon globalisation and vice versa and how and if we are moving towards a global digital economy.
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Purpose – The purpose of this chapter is to trace the origins of narrative inquiry as an empirical research method specifically created to examine how teachers come to know in…
Abstract
Purpose – The purpose of this chapter is to trace the origins of narrative inquiry as an empirical research method specifically created to examine how teachers come to know in their own terms.
Approach – The chapter reviews key conceptualizations in the teaching and teacher education field chronologically.
Findings – The review begins with Clandinin and Connelly's groundbreaking work concerning teachers’ personal practical knowledge, the professional knowledge landscapes of schools, and stories to live by (teacher identity). Three other important narrative conceptualizations on the research line are then highlighted: narrative resonance, narrative authority, and knowledge communities. Special attention is also paid to how narrative inquiry has fueled studies having to do with curriculum, subject matter, and culture. Narrative inquiry's important contributions to the emergence of the self-study of teaching and teacher education practices genre of research is additionally highlighted, along with several more recent advances having to do with collaborative narrative inquiries, studies with children, and reforming school landscapes.
Research implications – Lingering issues relating to narrative inquiry's acceptance as a legitimate research approach are also discussed; latent opportunities are likewise paid attention.
Value – The value of the chapter is that it is the first work that has specifically followed developments on the Connelly–Clandinin research line. The chapter shows the major contributions that the world-class research program – and the associated research projects spawned from it – have made to teaching and teacher education internationally.