Voting Behavior and Primary Elections

The United States of America has become increasingly polarized, so elections are more important than ever. This research paper analyzes voting behavior in primary elections throughout the United States. The four most recent Presidential primary election cycles are used as case studies. The purpose of this research is to determine the extent to which voters are more concerned with issues and ideology over electability in primary elections and how changing polarization and the timing of primary elections affects these results. The hypothesis argues that in increasingly polarized eras, voters become less concerned with voting based on issues and ideology; instead, they prioritize electability. The results indicate no causal relationship between polarization and the importance of electability in primary elections. Nevertheless, further research is needed to better understand the relationship between the two

Disabled Without Benefits: The Impacts of Recent Social Security Reform on Disabled Children

In 1996, Congress passed sweeping reforms aimed at overhauling the welfare system. The Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act ( PRWORA ) included a new definition of childhood disability that, it is estimated, excluded 100,000 children from SSI benefits. This Note explains the changes implemented within the childhood disability system and explains the reasoning behind those changes. It then argues that the regulations promulgated in response to PRWORA exclude truly disabled children from receiving disability benefits. These regulations violate the Social Security Act, are inconsistent with the stated policies of the Social Security Administration and draw arbitrary distinctions, violating the legislative intent of the Social Security Act

The effects of farmer attitudes and farm management practices on soil quality: a study in Cherokee County, Iowa

This study seeks to relate farmer attitudes, perceptions, and management characteristics to field soil quality and laboratory fertility indicators. Farmer interviews were conducted to document recent practices on the farm as well as farmer attitudes about farming. To obtain soil quality measures, both the Natural Resource Conservation Service\u27s field soil quality kit and laboratory tests were employed. Sites from the eastern half of Cherokee County, Iowa, were selected.;Key considerations of this study included farmer practices of renting versus owning land and organic or synthetic nitrogen application. Additional farmer data, including attitudes about farming, are used in this analysis.;In our study, farmers with longer farming experience had access to larger acreages. Also farmers with larger farms tended to adopt no till systems. When asked how they would change their operation if provided with unlimited resources, farmers who make decisions based upon simplicity and economics are more likely to continue their operation as is, while those who use experience, trial and error, as well as experimentation as their primary decision making tools are more likely to scale back their operations.;It was observed that ownership was not directly an influencing factor in shaping soil quality. However, some of the farmers\u27 traits and attributes led to management activities that significantly impacted selected soil quality and fertility indices. The use of organic and inorganic amendments had not led to significantly different potassium or phosphorus levels in the fields. Fields of farmers with large acreages had lower microbial respiration and higher pH. The no-till systems adopted by farmers with large acreages were associated with soils with higher bulk density. Farmers who viewed farming as only labor or management had fields with higher bulk densities and nitrate levels than those who viewed farming as a multifaceted profession. Additionally, farmers who enjoyed farming had fields with lower bulk densities than those who farmed simply to make a living

STEM Mental Wellness Research

NCSSS and IMSA conducted a survey to gather information regarding how NCSSS member schools handle carious aspects of student mental wellness and mental illness as well as the resources and programming available to address concerns in these areas. Download The 2020 NCSSS Student Mental Health Survey: A Synopsi

An exploration into the reasons for the resignation of ex-employees from the University of Port Elizabeth against international indicators in employee retention

South African organisations have not been left untouched by the impact of globalisation on their business practices. In a bid to maintain and improve on their competitive advantage, they have had to embark on initiatives to secure a place in the global economy. Entwined herein is the challenge to embrace a whole new definition of equality and develop their human capital as described in various legislative interventions of the South African Government. This study reflects the outcomes of an exploratory study into the reasons for the resignation of ex-employees from the University of Port Elizabeth, against international indicators in employee retention. The research was based on the premise that an effective and efficient transformation strategy should originate from a tangible understanding of all the socio-behavioural and influencing aspects of employee retention. The results suggest the development of an employee-retention strategy which could facilitate the realisation of the Employment Equity Plan. The objectives of the study were: to provide critical insight into why employees are resigning from the University of Port Elizabeth (UPE), to determine the social and developmental expectations of ex-UPE employees while in a transforming organisation, to identify and analyse ex-employees’ perceptions of the implementation of UPE’s Employment Equity Plan, to analyse ex-employees’ perceptions of existing retention practices at UPE, to provide recommendations towards an employee-retention strategy for UPE. The study is exploratory and descriptive in nature, and is quantitatively analysed with limited qualitative inferences. The population consisted of ex-UPE employees who had left the service of the university, from 01 January 2000 to 31 October 2002, by resignation. The period coincided with the implementation phase of the UPE Employment Equity Plan. For the purpose of this study, N=69. Twenty-eight ex-employees were untraceable, therefore n=41. Thirty ex-employees took part in the survey, thus making the sample return 73%. Eight of the respondents were dispersed across three continents other than Africa. The survey instrument, administered as an e-mailed and mailed questionnaire, was selected as the most suitable quantitative research method, because respondents were globally dispersed. Content analysis was selected as the most appropriate technique to produce findings in the qualitative aspect of the research. Where appropriate, descriptive statistics (univariate and bivariate analyses) were applied to describe the variables, the results of which were exhibited as tabular or graphical displays. Inferential statistical analyses (Pearson Chi-square and M-L Chisquare tests) were also conducted

Towards theorizing human resource development in South Africa: a critical analysis and the development of a tool to facilitate improved understanding and practice

The primary objective of this study is to generate pathways to understanding Human Resources Development (HRD) by developing a tool which enables and enhances a shared and common understanding of HRD in South Africa (SA). To achieve this objective, this research explores the nature and importance of HRD and articulates and aggregates these thoughts and practices into a tool which facilitates an understanding of HRD with the overarching aim of improving HRD thoughts and practices in South Africa. While there is substantial international and local literature on HRD, the existing body of research on the nature and importance of HRD in South Africa is skeletal. National HRD concepts and practices are fragmented, and are as diverse as the number of stakeholders and partners that it serves. In addition, theory-building in HRD is disconnected and removed from practice. In order to address this problem, a qualitative, interpretive, theory-building social constructionist research strategy was embarked upon. The research strategy was executed in an iterative, cyclical manner, using theoretical sampling and content analysis rigorously executed within a coding paradigm informed by open, axial and selective coding techniques with local and international literature and informal reviews as the units of analysis. Qualitative and quantitative findings of the South African Qualifications Authority ground-breaking, world-first longitudinal study was analyzed and used to find relevance and corroborate the international literature available on HRD. Informal reviews were conducted with 7 human resources (HR) practitioners and 54 internationally-based HR colleagues of the researcher in order to ensure as appropriate a degree of integration between theory and practice as was possible. This process culminated in the most significant contribution of this research, which is a tool consisting of six pathways, that facilitates an understanding of the nature and importance of HRD in South Africa. The development of the tool enabled the articulation and aggregation of a thorough and coherent description, explanation and representation of HRD. The research highlights the need for HRD scholars and practitioners to channel their energies and effort on all the catalytic aspects of organizational life, namely uniqueness, social complexity, knowledge, and path dependency, by acquiring critical insight into the profound value of HRD which will allow the realization and sustainability of competitive advantage in a rich and dynamic global economy

Appendices: Failures, errors and mistakes: A systematic review of the literature

Terms such as failure, mistakes, errors, obstacles, and struggle are used interchangeably, but each carry different connotations and discipline-specific meanings. Reactions to experiencing a failure can range as well, from being seen as having educative value to be debilitating. These reactions are based on criteria like environment, prior experiences and individual characteristics, to name a few. The purpose of this chapter is to synthesize and clarify how these terms are articulated and utilized in research studies and commentaries published between 1970 and 2017. Through a systematic literature review, we will discuss similarities and differences in how researchers defined these terms, as well as how these definitions differ by cultural context, discipline, and age of participants. Next, we briefly highlight how our research findings on failure within making and tinkering contexts contribute to our current thinking on failure, mistakes, and errors. Our research included approximately 500 youths and 150 educators situated in a variety of settings that implement making and tinkering programs and/or activities including an informal educational setting (i.e., museum), a formal educational setting (i.e., public middle school), and a hybrid setting (i.e., science center running after-school programming at local school sites). We conclude with open questions and recommendations for the field to consider when conducting research around failures, errors, and mistakes in educational contexts